Is it sad that Takashi Miike’s “Ninja Kids” — a live-action adaptation of Sobee Amako’s manga “Nintama Rantaro’ — has just jumped to the top of my must-see list for this year? Wait — don’t answer that just yet. Before you start rolling your eyes and proclaiming my taste in cinema to be somewhat lacking, I implore you to view the trailer embedded below. The damned thing is freaking adorable, right down the farting old lady and the colorful ninja outfits. If the clip doesn’t bring a big dorky smile to your face, I kind of feel sorry for you. Of course, this is coming from a guy who loves “Thunderpants”. Make of that what you will.

If, like me, you’re oblivious to the source material, this synopsis might be helpful:

Based on a long-running gag manga by Sobee Amako and a subsequent TV anime series, the film is set in the Sengoku period and revolves around an 8-year-old boy named Rantaro who attends a school for young ninjas. While there, he befriends Shibe (Fuuta Kimura), the son of wealthy merchant, and Kirimaru, an orphan boy who lost his parents during a war.